1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a swing hinge apparatus of a portable terminal, by which a pair of housings can be rotatably assembled while facing each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a portable terminal refers to a device used to provide wireless communication between users or between a user and a service provider using a mobile communication station and the like. Portable terminals are classified into bar-type terminals, flip-type terminals, and folder-type terminals according to their appearance.
The bar-type portable terminal has a single body housing on which a data input/output unit, a transmitter, and a receiver are mounted. A keypad used as the data input/output unit is always exposed to the outside and may result in the malfunction thereof. Further, there is limitation in the miniaturization of the portable terminal because it is difficult to secure a distance between the transmitter and receiver.
The flip-type portable terminal has a body, a flip and a hinge module for connecting the flip to the body. The body includes a data input/output unit, a transmitter, and a receiver mounted thereon. The flip covers the keypad used as the data input unit so as to prevent the malfunction of the keypad. However, there is also a limitation in the miniaturization of the flip type portable terminal because it is difficult to secure a distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
The folder-type portable terminal includes a body a folder, and a hinge apparatus for rotatably connecting the folder to the body, in which the folder rotates to open and close the body. When the folder is closed over the body in a communication-standby mode, it is possible to prevent the malfunction of the keypad. As a transmitter and a receiver are arranged on the body and the folder respectively in a communication mode, it is possible to secure a sufficient distance between the transmitter and the receiver. Thus, there is an advantage of miniaturizing the portable terminal.
Recently, a sliding-type portable terminal in which a pair of housings are assembled to move in a straight direction while facing each other has appeared, so that it shares a large portion of the market of mobile communication terminals, together with the folder-type portable terminals.
Meanwhile, as use of the portable terminals becomes popular, tastes of users for a design of the portable terminal come to be diverse, and thus manufacturers of the portable terminal make efforts to meet them. As a result of their efforts, swing-type portable terminals, rotary-type portable terminals, and combination-type portable terminals using a sliding-folding operation or a folding-swing operation have appeared.
However, the swing-type portable terminals and the rotary-type portable terminals, or the sliding-folding portable terminals and the folding-swing portable terminals have difficulty in obtaining structural stability, so that there is a limitation on releasing to the market as products. Further, due to the difficulty in obtaining the structural stability, there arises a problem in increasing costs for manufacturing a real product.
Furthermore, it is difficult to control a stop position of housings in a portable terminal that is opened/closed by a swing operation, users experience an inconvenience in a portable terminal opened/closed in a passive manner, the cost for manufacturing is increased in a portable terminal automatically opened/closed by using a motor and the like, and there is a risk of breakdown at the moment of stopping rotation because a spring is used in a portable terminal opened/closed semi-automatically.